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Models of interstellar clouds. II. The zeta Persei cloud

Journal Article · · Astrophys. J.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/156392· OSTI ID:6650754
A model is constructed of the principal interstellar cloud lying toward zeta Persei which reproduces th observational data on the abundance of atomic hydrogen and the rotational level populations of molecular hydrogen. The model consists of a cold core with a total hydrogen density of 267 cm/sup -3/ and a temperature of 45 K, surrounded by a warm envelope with a density of 100 cm/sup -3/ at a temperature of 120 K. It reproduces the ionization structure of several elements, and it predicts abundances of the molecules OH, CO, CN, and CH in satisfactory agreement with measurement. The model underestimates the CH/sup +/ abundance by a factor of 4. The measured OH abundance implies a cosmic ray ionizing frequency of 2.2 x 10/sup -17/ s/sup -1/, and the measured abundance of HD appears to require a deuterium to hydrogen abundance ratio lying between 1.8 x 10/sup -5/ and 9.0 x 10/sup -5/. The column densities of several other molecules are predicted.
Research Organization:
School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota
OSTI ID:
6650754
Journal Information:
Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 224:2; ISSN ASJOA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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